Say Anything Blog

Yet another issue in which the Democrats succeeded in setting the tone for debate this last election cycle.  Instead of debating the real issue of government provided daycare they propose the all day kindergarten as a rouse to shift the focus. 

What Conservatives must ask is this - why is all day kindergarten needed if the children are learning what they are supposed to in the 1st grade?  The Democrats are winning this debate with a Quantity vs. Quality argument.

By shifting the focus to “giving children a head start” they have hurdled over the real question of “why aren’t they learning what they should already?”

While the “social skills” argument probably has merit, it is not the argument that has been put forward.  Instead they have said the problem is education, not socialization. 

It is not incumbent upon Conservatives to take this acknowledgement that the real problem is the failing of the current system and run with that, rather than placate the issue to make some folks happy.

By shifting the focus to “giving children a head start” they have hurdled over the real question of “why aren’t they learning what they should already?”

This was the point I was making when I talked about school vouchers.  This seems like a policy aimed at addressing education deficiencies while not really addressing them at all.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Jeeze, if I had a kid starting school I’d love all-day kindergarten.  Imagine how much I’d save in day care costs by throwing the bill for babysitting my spawn on the people’s lap.

This may sound silly but here it goes.
Eliminate kindergarten.
IMO I would like to see 1st grade start at the age of three years old as oppose to six years old.
Kids are smart, and at that young age they are less apt to be concerned about what the kid next to them is wearing and so on.
They graduate high school at the age of 15 and on to college or into the work force.

“We have a dollar that’s adjusting and I am for a strong dollar.....
Our dollar doesn’t buy as many barrels of oil as it used to and so therefore it’s more expensive for the American people”..... Bush 3/12/08

We’ve had all-day kindergarten for many, many years.  The kids do just fine.  They give them a short nap in the afternoon and that helps a lot.  To me, this is a non-issue.

However, our state is discussing moving to mandatory pre-school for 4-year olds.  I am dead 100% opposed to that.  When I was a kid, we didn’t have mandatory kindergarten (I did attend a private kindergarten half-a-day) and I turned out just fine.  I don’t see where adding a 14th year on to school does anything except provide state-paid day care.

"Although I can accept talking scarecrows, lions and great wizards in emerald cities, I find it hard to believe there is no paperwork involved when your house lands on a witch.”
- Dave James

"They graduate high school at the age of 15 and on to college”

So, you want to unleash people even less mature than the 18-21 year-old binge drinkers on the college campuses?

Of course, they probably wouldn’t be immature binge drinkers if we didn’t infantilize them in their adolescence with nonsense like the 21-year-old drinking law in the first place.

When we treat people like infants we shouldn’t be surprised when they act like infants.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

ec

I never said it was a good idea.
Do you really think the drinking thing could not be worked out?

“We have a dollar that’s adjusting and I am for a strong dollar.....
Our dollar doesn’t buy as many barrels of oil as it used to and so therefore it’s more expensive for the American people”..... Bush 3/12/08

I think the big drive towards the all day kindergarten is the daycare issue.

Whether or not you agree with all day Kindergarten or not it’s a fact that the school schedules have NOT kept up with the reality of working parents.

So do kids learn more at all day Kindergarten?  I don’t think that much.

Is all-day Kindergarten a bad thing?  Probably not, those kids would be in daycare anyway.

If I was on the school board would I agree to all-day Kindergarten?  Probably to make it easier on the parents.

What’s going to happen to US industry when the global warming extremists like John McCain double the price of electricity?  I would think all these factories will close and set up in countries where they aren’t scared of technology.

"Do you really think the drinking thing could not be worked out?”

Nope.  For one thing, Rob is right.  By making liquor taboo until 21, it’s like the forbidden fruit.  In Europe, where parents mix a little wine with kids’ water from an early age, and legal is 18 or 19, you don’t have the problem.  Liquor is not this “can’t wait to get my hands on it” magnet.  Further, at a place like UND, were binge drinking is rampant, the administration refuses to institute any kind of no tolerance policy...so, no stick, no abstinence.